Inorganics news in brief

21 February 2011 00:00  [Source: ICB]

SP CHEMICALS EXPANDS CHINESE CAUSTIC SODA

China-based SP Chemicals will complete the expansion of its 450,000 dry metric tonne (dmt)/year caustic soda plant at Jiangsu to 750,000 dmt/year, by July. The expansion, which started in February 2009, is expected to ease the tight Asian supply situation where demand was robust. For the first half of 2011, SP Chemicals is not offering cargoes to the spot market as it plans to allocate all of its material to long-term contract customers.

FORMOSA PLASTIC SHUTS CAUSTIC SODA PLANT

Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Corp. (FPC) will shut its 1.33m dry metric tonne (dmt)/year caustic soda plant in Mailiao for a turnaround in September. The two lines at the plant, which are due for a 15-day turnaround, will not be shut simultaneously, a company source said. Formosa is building up its inventory in anticipation of the annual maintenance and will not offer spot cargoes.

PERSTORP CHLOR-ALKALI FM IN FRANCE REMAINS

Sweden-based Perstorp's declaration of force majeure (FM) on chlor-alkali supplies from its site at Pont-de-Claix, France, remains in place. The site has nameplate chlorine capacity of 170,000 tonnes/year. The FM remains because of ongoing downstream difficulties with caustic soda, a company source said. The company declared FM on December 31 after an unexpected technical incident affecting the site's electrolysis unit.

CRISTAL GLOBAL HIKES TIO2

Saudi Arabia-based Cristal Global will increase titanium dioxide (TiO2) prices in Eastern and Western Europe, including Turkey, by €150/tonne ($203/tonne), and by $200/tonne in Russia and the CIS region effective immediately.

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